Close your eyes
by DarkRainbow
Summary: What if Misty didn't meet Ash when they were younger, but years later? A/U Ash and Misty Romance. Please Read & Review!
1. Welcome in my nightmare

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TITLE: Close your eyes

AUTHOR: Kristina

EMAIL: [darkrainbow@eurosport.com][1]

ARCHIVING: Sure, but please ask before!DISCLAIMER: I don't own the character, except Krystal ,Jessica and Pat. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and 4kids productions...etc.. I'm not making any money from this, so don't sue me.

SUMMARY: What if Misty didn't meet Ash when they were younger, but years later?

CATEGORY: A/U, Angst, a tiny dark, Ash & Misty Romance

RATING: Pg-13 (violence and bad words)

FEEDBACK: I didn't put my email there for nothing. I'm dying for it. Makes me write faster. ;) Constructive flames are always welcome, but just don't flame me. Explain. 

AUTHORS NOTES: I started this fic one year ago, and stopped to write when I lost my interest in the tv show. But since I'm not the kind of person who starts something and doesn't finish it, I decided sit down and keep writing it. ;)

WARNING: The first part hadn't been beta-read, so there may be mistakes. English isn't my first language, but I'm doing my best. If anyone wants to beta read the next parts, plz email me!

Copyright Kristina; April 2001

~*~*~*~

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Chapter One ~ Welcome to my nightmare

When the Charizard collapsed, the complete crowd of the Indigo Stadium got up at the same time and started to scream with joy, their hands waving at the winner. The great final battle was over. The looser let himself fell on the ground, disappointed and furious, looking at the winner with resentment, his fists clenched of rage. He could barley hear the animator announcing the name of the great winner. Already, a plan of vengeance took form in his mind. *He* was going to pay. 

He made his Charizard return in his pokeball and left, without looking back. He had nothing else to do here, and anyway, he had to start to make his plan in action, which he hoped, would put an end to the career of the young Pokemon trainer. "We'll meet again, Ash Ketchum. We'll meet again!" he muttered to the young man at the other side of the stadium, who couldn't hear him. And, he disappeared in the dark corridor, with as most dignity as possible.

Ash watched him leave, pensive. He had to be careful now. Shrugging with lack of concern, he turned his attention at the people who congratulated him. After all these years, he now was the Pokemon master. His dream had come true. "Good job, Pikachu." Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, simply nodded with contentment. Because of the new attacks Ash learned him, it had been easy for Pikachu to beat Charizard. Ash looked around him and noticed his oldest friend who was trying to make his way to Ash. "Hey Brock

"Hey!" He finally arrived in front of Ash, breathless, and he gave him a friendly embrace. "What a great battle! He never could guess that Pikachu could beat his Charizard. You should have seen his face when Pikachu gave the final shoot! Snap took great pictures. You could them keep in souvenir..." He pointed the photograph, who, with other of Ash's friends, came to see the big match.

"Yeah...well, he's totally furious. He probably won't hesitate to commit murder if it's necessary," confided Ash. Being a Pokemon master wouldn't be so easy that he thought. But he was ready. No one would spoil his dream. No one.

Brock nodded. "He's a bad looser, that's all. Don't worry about him." A group of girls started to push him, so they could reach Ash. "Humm...let's stay calm, ladies...You know, I'm also single, if any of you are interested..." He blushed. The girls, not caring about him, began to scream hysterically Ash's name, jumping as high as they could to see him.

Rolling his eyes, Ash pulled him by the arm. "Let's get out of here. I'm getting tired." He wasn't interested in any of these girls...They wanted only one thing: being able to scream out and loud that they had been able to touch the Pokemon master. Some even had very imaginative ways to try to do so. "Pikachu, lead the way!"

"Pika, pika!" The little electric mouse nodded, happy to finally leave this place, which was beginning to be too small for him.

~*~*~*~

In the next town, a crowd was taking form around two girls who were getting ready to battle. The first one had long green hair and wore jeans with a white camisole. She shook disdainfully her head and called her Lapras. She put a lofty smile on her lips. "Let's see what you got, nasty girl!" Behind her, her friends encouraged her by screaming her name. She put her hand on her hips, smirking, waiting to see which Pokemon her rival would choose.

The second didn't bother to look at her and, with a move of her shoulder, removed her red hair from her eyes. Her blue eyes threw lightning, but she controlled herself. She thought rapidly and finally took one of her pokeball out of her bag. "Go Staryu!" 

The first laughed when she saw the little start pokemon pop out of its pokeball. "You really think your stupid Staryu's gonna beat my Lapras? My poor Misty...you don't have a chance!" Her friends agreed with roars of laugh when they saw Staryu. "Still time to change your mind..." She saw that Misty didn't want to. "Too bad...It's gonna be more easy for me to beat you!"

Misty shrugged. "Believe whatever you want, Jessica...Staryu, hyper beam!" Staryu obey immediately. Lapras never got a chance to reply. The crowd whispered words of encouragement or screams of surprise when Staryu easily beat Lapras, who couldn't resist at the attacks. Misty smiled and put her hands on her hips, like Jessica did earlier, observing Jessica's reaction. She was furious. She just got was she deserved!

"It's impossible! You cheated! Staryu *cannot* beat Larpas!" She looked Misty with hate in her eyes. Hate is a weak word to describe how she felt about that damn girl. But she got her pride, so she calmed down. "Very good. You won, for this time...but we'll meet again, and next time, you'll see who's the best!" The crowd pushed away when she passed through, followed by Lapras, which she forgot to call back, and people started to leave. Her friends looked at Misty, and then ran to joined up with Jessica, trying to comfort her.

Staryu returned in its pokeball and Misty went to see her best friend, Krystal who was waiting for her. She sat near her, on a fountain's side, and observed the starry sky. None of them said a word for a long time. It became a ritual between them, after a battle, to sit in silence and look up at the sky. They traveled together for more than ten years now, and shared their dreams, joy, pain and much more. Misty wanted to become the best water trainer and Krystal wanted to become a great gym leader for the indigo league.

Krystal stretched slowly, with the grace of a cat. "I think we should get going. It's night and we don't have a place to sleep." She got up on her two feet and combed her black hair with her fingers. "The pokemon centers are all full because of the league match in the neighbor city..." She shivered. Despite the sweater she just put on, she was cold. "Too bad we couldn't get tickets. It sounded like a great match," she whispered to herself. 

Misty also wished they could have go to see the match. But the price for tickets was too high for them. "I suggest we walk all night to get to...wherever! I don't feel like sleeping...We could always rest during the day, when we'll find a pokemon center that isn't full," she suggested.

Krystal frowned, worried about her friend. "Everything's all right?" Misty looked tired, but Krystal kept her mouth shut. She knew whatever she would say, Misty wouldn't listen. She was too stubborn.

"Of course everything's fine! Don't worry about me. I just want to leave this city as fast as possible. I never thought I would meet *her* here...I don't wanna see her face again...But if you prefer, we could sleep here. It doesn't matter to me." Misty extended her arm to take her bag where her sleeping bag was, but Krystal stopped her.

"C'mon. If you wanna pass the night up, I don't see why I couldn't do the same thing!" She started to walk rapidly, wanting to arrive to their next destination and hoping the sun would rise early. Despite what she just said."Hey! Wait for me!" screamed Misty, running behind her, trying to catch up with her. She then realized she forgot her bag on the fountain's side, so she started to run in the opposite direction, while screaming at Krystal to wait for her. When she arrived at the fountain, there wasn't any bag. "Shit!" She scratched her head, trying to remember if she could have put it somewhere else. She knew she removed it from her back when they sat down. Then, she made a move to get her sleeping bag out, but she didn't touch it. 

Sounds of steps behind her brought her back to reality. "Hey, Krystal, do you know where I put my bag? It isn't here anymore. I could have swore I didn't move it from here..." No answers. "Krystal?" She turned around, wondering why her friend wasn't answering.

"Is it...this you're searching for, honey?" A giant, who wasn't Krystal at all, was standing in front of her. He was taller than her of at least four heads and didn't have a friendly expression on his face. 

"W-Who are you?"

"Name's Pat. You know well that you shouldn't let your things lying all around, because people could steal them! Mostly when there is interesting pokemon inside..." He started to laugh. He showed her the red bag that was hanging on his finger. "I suppose you want me to give it back to ya, right?"

Misty was on her guard. He wasn't going to give it back to her. Even if she did know a couple of self-defense moves, she didn't have much chance against this man. 'Krystal, where *are* you? Shit! I really need your help!' Sometimes, Krystal was able to know when she needed her. It happened sometimes in the past. Misty hoped it would work this time! She returned her attention to the man. "Of course I'd like to have it back..." she answered, as innocently as she could.

"Well...don't count on that!" He laughed. "Don't look at me this way, honey. If you didn't let your bag lying around, it wouldn't have happen." He ran his eyes on Misty. "We could always deal for a good price..." A diabolic smile was now on his lips.

Misty pulled a face of disgust. "No thanks! I'd rather fight." She looked around her. No Krystal. She hated the harmless feeling that was overwhelming her. She was weak against that guy. He knew it, and he loved it. "If I were you, I'd feel ashamed of myself to have to steal pokemon instead of capturing them!" She said, louder, wishing someone would hear her. "Give me back my pokemons or you'll regret it!" She couldn't stop looking around. Why weren't there any houses around? Only shops. Closed.

"Ohhh...I'm *so* afraid!" Pat walked closer to her. He could took her and throw her away with one hand only, if he wanted too. That, he knew it and he'd probably take advantage of it. She couldn't do anything against him. His eyes, bloodshot, watched her feverishly.

Misty tried to breathe slowly and to control the shiver that ran through her body. Giving him a kick would be the same than hitting a rock. She would only hurt herself. Only one thing to do. "KRYSTAL!" She started to scream her friend's name as loud as she could, many times. The complete town should hear her, so Krystal too. She wanted to run, but she couldn't abandon her pokemons to that crazy jerk! She couldn't live with herself if she did that.

"Shut up, you bitch!" In a jump, he slapped her in the face and then, he put his hand on her mouth and with his other, he started to strangle her painfully. "I didn't want to do it, but if it's the only way for you to shut up...I hate bitches like you. The pokemon world isn't for women, darling. You're all so weak!"

Misty suffocated. She tried to kick him, but no hurt was done. She bit his hand with her teeth, felt the taste of blood in her mouth. She heard him swear, but he didn't let go like she wanted him to. He simply augmented the pressure on her neck. "Sttffmm..." She tried to call Starmie, but her voice was a simple whisper that only her could hear. "Krysss..." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. The town started to be muddle up and everything seemed to be turning around, in circles. She floated, as light as a feather. Floated, to the daylight. 

Help.

Tbc…

~*~*~*~

Let me know what you think!

   [1]: mailto:darkrainbow@eurosport.com



	2. First Contact

TITLE: Close your eyes

TITLE: Close your eyes

AUTHOR: Kristina

EMAIL: [darkrainbow@eurosport.com][1]

ARCHIVING: Sure, but please ask before!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the character, except Krystal ,Jessica and Pat. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and 4kids productions...etc.. I'm not making any money from this, so don't sue me.

SUMMARY: What if Misty didn't meet Ash when they were younger, but years later?

CATEGORY: A/U, Angst, a tiny dark, Ash & Misty Romance

RATING: Pg-13 (violence and bad words)

FEEDBACK: I didn't put my email there for nothing. I'm dying for it. Makes me write faster. ;) Constructive flames are always welcome, but just don't flame me. Explain. 

AUTHORS NOTES: Thanks for the reviews! I hope you'll like this part as well! 

I'm still looking for a beta-reading, so if anyone is interested to take the job…email me!

Copyright Kristina; April 2001

****

~*~*~*~

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Chapter Two ~ First Contact

A voice. Far away. Misty first thought she imagined it, but the voice became closer, louder. She opened painfully her eyes, and all she could make out was two blurred shadows in front of her. She didn't understand what was going on, but after what seemed to her an eternity, without knowing why, the pressure on her neck was gone and she fell on her knees, on the ground. Breathing fresh air again. Never she would have thought it would have been so wonderful to breathe!

When she felt a little better, she tried to look to see what was going on. Two men were in front of that Pat guy, a little Pikachu in front of them. The man was red of anger, still holding her bag with one hand. If she could lift her arm, she could catch it. Gathering all the strength she had left, she moved her arm towards her bag and she pulled the bag with her two hands. Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead. He finally let go. She fell on her back, holding tight her bag as if it was a baby she just saved.

The voices were talking, but Misty couldn't hear the words. The shadows were now between her and the man, the little electric mouse in first. She understood they came to her rescue. Well, she hoped so…Even with her troubled sight, she saw a yellow light lit up the sky. She got up on her knees, trying to see what was happening.

The big man glanced at her, then at the two other men and returned to her. "It's your lucky day, bitch…But another day, you won't have that luck…" He threw at her an evil look and ran away on those last words.

"It's you who won't have enough luck!" Misty wanted to scream, but only an incoherent whisper got out of her mouth. She rubbed her hurtful neck and gave a grateful look at her saviors. They were both probably around her age. The first had brown hair and his hair was almost the same color has his skin. The other had spiky black hair and she immediately knew he was the kind of guy girls ran after. He looked younger than she, but the look in his eyes seemed older. "Thank you," she whispered. At first sight, she knew she could trust them.

"Are you alright?" The first man asked, the one with the tan skin. "We heard you scream, so we came to see what was going on…" He kneeled near her and observed her.

The other one nodded, staying up. He scratched his head, pensively. "Pikachu taught him a lesson he'll never forget. Right?" He gave her an encouragement smile, glancing at her with his brown eyes.

"Pika pi!" the little yellow pokemon answered, while he walked closer to Misty. He put his first two paws on Misty' legs. It was his way to comfort her.

"I…I think it's going to be fine…Thanks Pikachu!" Misty caressed the head of the pokemon a moment, to thank him. She felt herself blushing by the intensity of his glance. Cursing herself, she tried to get up, but everything started to turn again, so she fell back on the ground. She now had a horrible headache. She sighed. "What an idiot."

"The world is full of people like him, who steal other's pokemon…And by the way, I'm Brock!" He smiled at her and blushed a bit. "And that's Ash."

"My name is Misty. I…" She got interrupted by someone who cried her name. She looked away and saw Krystal running towards her.

"Hey! Are you okay? I heard you screaming! I was so sure you were behind me! What happened? Why is your neck all red?" Her eyes widen. "You didn't…"

Misty rolled her eyes. "No, of course no! I…"

Krystal interrupted her. "God, what happened to your voice? You sound like…well, not as usual. Like you caught a bad cold. No, don't look at me like that, it's true! Didn't you hear yourself?" She looked quickly at the two strangers and turned back at Misty. "Who are they? Is someone finally going to explain what happened?"

Misty sighed, exasperated. "If you could let me a chance to explain, instead of asking thousands of questions…" She cleared her throat. "I was following you when I noticed that I forgot my bag, so I scream you to wait and I went to get it."

Krystal felt the guilt overwhelming her. "I sweat I didn't hear you at all…I think I was in a hurry to leave this place…I am so sorry…" She sat down next to her friend, put her arm around Misty's shoulders. 

"It's okay. I should have scream louder…" She tried to sound normal, to control the fear in her voice. She didn't want Krystal to worry about her. "So, I returned at the fountain, but my bag wasn't there anymore. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find it. Then, that guy arrived, Pat he told me, with my bag. He didn't want to give it back to me, so I started to scream your name. They heard me, and they came to my rescue," Misty explained, pointing the two strangers. 

Krystal nodded, gratefully. "Thank you so much to help her! I don't know what I would have done if I had find her strangled…" She shivered at the thought. Misty was her only friend, the only person in the world who understood her. Without Misty, she had no one. She would be alone. Never the idea of loosing her crossed her mind before now.

Misty took all the energy inside of her to hug her friend and to get up. "Don't worry. It's gonna take more than that big jerk to get rid of me!" She joked, wanting to sound convincing. But the two men knew very well that if they didn't come to the rescue, she probably wouldn't be standing up in this world. "He took me by surprise, that's all."

Krystal nodded, not totally convinced. "You are sure you feel well?"

"Of course! Besides, we should get going…if we want to arrive to our destination for the morning!" Misty declared trying to be enthusiastic. Without waiting for an answer, she started to walk. She only made a few steps when the pain in her head appeared once again and everything started to turn again. She put a hand on her forehead…and fell on the floor with a groan.

~*~*~*~

Ash, his arms crossed on his chest, observed Misty through the door's window where they transported her after she fell down. Her friend was sitting near her bed and talked to her softly. Brock was next to him, turning his back to the room, his eyes fixed on the wall. Everything happened so fast. Out of the stadium, they decided to go at the neighbor city to see if there were still places to sleep. Immediately after they arrived, the first thing they heard was the scream of a woman. Despite their tiredness and desire to sleep, they decided to see if they could help. They ran, Pikachu leading the way. Brock had been the first one to see the man who was strangling a girl. He had screamed him to stop and the man, surprised, had let go of her after a moment. Ash took the opportunity to ask Pikachu to send him a thundersock. Then, the girl fainted and they took her to the nearest hospital. 

Brock gave him a quick look, disinteresting himself from the wall. "What are you thinking about, Ash?"

Ash shrugged. "Nothing special. Why do you ask?"

"Well...Your attitude surprise me, that's all." He saw his interrogated look, so he explained the meaning of his words. "I mean, staying after helping. We habitually left immediately after we made sure the person was safe, so, tell me, why aren't we doing the same thing here? Not that I'm complaining..." he added, murmuring. He thought about Misty's friend. It was probably the cutest girl he had ever met. He felt his cheek reddening at the thought.

"Pika pikachu!" added Pikachu, wondering the same things than Brock. He was perched on his trainer's shoulder and watched the scene with his black eyes. Each time they saved someone, which they did very often, whoever it was, a young lady in distress, an old man or a pokemon hurt, they left when they leaded them in a hospital or a pokemon center or when they simply were out of danger. Pikachu just didn't understand why it was different this time. Sometimes, he wished he could read his trainer's thoughts, so he could understand him more.

Ash let a sight out of his lips and turned to face his longtime friend. "I don't know Brock. I am asking to myself the same thing..." He felt as an invisible force didn't want him to leave…

Brock turned around, to look through the window, in the same position as Ash. For a long moment, they both stayed silent. "We just arrived in time to save her. A minute later, and she was dead." He sighed. "It disgusts me to see that people like that exist." He hesitated a moment. "You know...I read somewhere that there was sometimes a link created between the victim and the savior. And I'm not talking about myself here."

Ash sighed. "I know where you wanna go with that stuff, Brock. But I don't see why it should be different this time. It's not the first time we save the life of a girl and you never said that shit to me before!" He didn't understand why Brock told him his psychological theories now. Nothing was different this time. 

"Huh, well...I think she's different," Brock explained. Seeing Ash's expression, he hurried to elaborate. "What I meant was that she isn't one of those groupies who could give anything to simply touch the pokemon master!"

Ash didn't answer. His eyes had turned darker, remembering things that happened in the past. He glanced a last time in the room, and then start walking away. "We should leave now."

Brock was flabbergasted a moment, but finally shrugged and nodded. "I think I'll never understand you, Ash Ketchum..."

~*~*~*~

Krystal looked at her friend, pale, on the hospital's bed. She seemed so vulnerable, but in the same time, so scared. Her eyebrow was frowned and she seemed to be having a nightmare. Krystal sighed and glanced at the door's window. The two men weren't there anymore. Surprised, she ran at the corridor and saw them not so far away. "Hey!" she screamed, not too loud. She rejoined them fast. "You're leaving?"

"I am sorry, but yes. We never stay a long time at the same place," Ash answered, facing her. He saw the deception in her eyes. He couldn't explain to her the reason why they couldn't stay, even if he wanted too.

"You...you mean you don't want to wait until Misty wakes up? I'm sure she's going to be disappointed to see you left while she was sleeping!" Krystal added, wishing they would stay. For a reason she couldn't explain, she felt they needed to stay with them. It was stupid, of course! But she was so rarely wrong with that kind of feeling.

Brock sighed. "We'd really want to stay but...we have certain things to do somewhere else. I am sure she'll understand."

Krystal shrugged, defeated. Too bad! At least, she tried. "Ok, fine. So, humm..well...thanks again to save Misty's life. If we could ever help you in any possible way, don't hesitate to come to us! We'd be glad to help."

Ash smiled. "Thanks. I think..." A scream interrupted him. A long scream, agonizing and piercing. A scream full of horror, mixed with tears and fear. A scream coming from Misty's room. Krystal was the first one to start running, soon followed by Ash and Brock. She opened brusquely the door, the worst case scenario in mind. She stood in the frame of the room, Ash and Brock near behind her.

Misty turned her eyes at them at the sound of the opening door. Krystal, guessing immediately the reason of her friend's nightmare, went to hug her. "Tell me," she simply asking, hugging her tightly.

Misty nodded slowly, controlling the trembling that was shaking her. "I...He was here...I...I saw him...He..." With all her strength, she stopped to tremble and smile weakly to her best friend. "It was stupid. A stupid dream, that's all."

Krystal frowned, ready to protest. Misty wanted to be strong. Krystal could simply admire for that, but trying to run away from reality wasn't the right solution. "Misty...I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work, sweety."

Misty looked at her, interrogation in her blue eyes. "What are you talking about? I...I don't see what you mean!"

Brock coughed softly in the frame and made a step in the room. "You almost died, it's normal to have nightmares in that kind of situation," Brock tried to explain. Sometimes, he told himself that he should have become psychologist instead of gym leader. Or psychanalyst. 

Misty shook her head. "It wasn't really a nightmare...it was...stupid." She looked down. Who was she trying to convince? Them or herself?

"If it was so stupid, why did you cry?" asked Ash, softly, leaning against the wall near the door.

Misty staying silent a moment, not knowing what to answer. They were right, she knew it, but admitting it wasn't so easy. She opened her mouth to talk, but changed her mind and closed it and kept her eyes down.

Krystal sighed. "It must have been a very traumatizing experience...With time, everything will be fine, sweety!" She gently combed her redhair with her hand. "You need to sleep now, okay?"

Misty nodded and immediately hide her head in the pillow, until she heard them leave. Then, she sat in the bed and started to cry. She didn't cry for...years. Probably since she was a baby. She jumped when the door reopened itself. She looked up with her tearfully eyes. Ash. She took a corner of the blanket to dry the tears.

Ash pointed his black coat he left on a chair. "Sorry...I simply wanted to take it back..." He observed her eyes, redden by the cries. "You don't have to stop for me. My mother always told me that sometimes, it felt good to cry."

Misty tried not to smile. She didn't know him for a very long time, but it was kinda hard to imagine him having a mother. "I...It's stupid, crying. I...I don't even know why!"

In a sigh, Ash sat on a chair next to her bed. "You know it. If you don't want to be honest with me or with your friend, that's fine. But at least, be honest to yourself. It won't make you weaker to admit that you're scare..."

Misty stayed numb a moment, a violent reply on her tongue, that she held back at the last moment. He maybe saved her life, but he didn't have to act like her mother. Especially since he looked younger than she did! "Aren't you a little young to do psychology?" she snapped. 

Ash had a mocking smile. "Probably. Brock told me that stuff. Anyway, you must become mature fast if you wanna be a good pokemon trainer."

"I know that well. But it's not everyone who succeed." She shrugged. "Since I left home, I had to learn that you have to be strong to survive in a world like this. I cannot allow a simple and stupid incident weaken me or make me vulnerable."

"An incident where you almost died...but I think I don't have to recall it to you..."

Misty took a deep breath. "I am full aware that I could have died. But it isn't a reason to become a softy. It's not the first time that I'm confronting death and I never had nightmares before."

"So, you admit that it was actually a nightmare." His mocking smile appeared again on his lips.

Misty bit her tongue. She didn't know why she kept those acid remarks that came through her mind. He deserved them! Instead, she started to yawn. "I feel tired. I...I think I should sleep now."

Ash nodded and got up, his coat pending on his arm. "Sweet dreams!" He left, closing the door behind him.

Misty took long breath. He...No comments. She closed her eyes, and tried not to think at all.

Tbc…

   [1]: mailto:darkrainbow@eurosport.com



	3. 

Close your eyes ~ Chapter Three

Close your eyes ~ Chapter Three

By Kristina

A/N: So very sorry for the delay. Finals are coming and I'm overwhelmed by work…Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! And big thanks for the reviews! The first three chapters were kinda a prologue to the story. The good stuff will start next chapter! ^_~

WARNING: This fic contains violence and bad language. 

C&C are more than welcome. I need reviews to keep writing! My email is [darkrainbow@eurosport.com][1]

Copyright Kristina; May 2001

~*~*~

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Chapter Three ~ Falling Higher

~*~*~

Krystal, Brock and Ash were sitting at the hospital's cafeteria, drinking coffees. Ash had joined them later, saying he made a stop at the bathroom. Krystal was glad to see that Ash and Brock didn't seem in a hurry to leave anymore. She was happy to have some company. In fact, she didn't know how she'd do all by herself. The cafeteria was almost empty, except for a small group of nurses, taking a break and the pale green coloration of the walls made her feel sick, so she kept her eyes locked on her coffee.

"She lived a traumatizing experience. I think it's normal to have nightmares. But it is also normal that she tries to deny it," Brock explained between two sips of coffee, reciting what he read years ago in a book.

Krystal observed him curiously. "Aren't you a little young to be psychologist?" 

Ash hid a smile. Misty just told him the exact same thing. Maybe Brock did have hidden talents to analyze people and their emotions.

Brock blushed. "I…I'm not a psy. I just read a lot." He shrugged, as if it wasn't something important. He then smiled. "To tell the true, I'm simply the gym leader of Pewter."

Ash coughed. "Was. Your father took your place when you decided to follow me some years ago. Don't forget it…"

Krystal smiled. "I understand. My parents also have a gym. They wanted me to be in charge, since I'm the oldest, but I didn't feel ready to take the place, so I asked my sister to take the job and I left, hoping to get worthy one day to take in charge my parents' gym."

Ash slowly nodded. He understood the feeling. His gaze traveled around the room and he suddenly realized that the little group of nurses were now staring at him. He sighed, annoyed.

Krystal and Brock followed his gaze and Brock shook his head in desperation. 

Krystal observed them both, her eyes moving at one to the other. She frowned, not really understanding what just happened. "Huh…why are those nurses staring at you like you were…some kind of god?" Krystal asked Ash, curiously. 

Ash sighed and Brock decided to answer for him. "They must have seen the news…Ash is the new Pokemon Master, since only a few hours, but the news travel so fast…You see, the girls are throwing themselves at him as soon as they see him. Everything started when he beat the Elite Four and that happened a week ago…"

Krystal looked stunned, but then smiled at Ash. "Congratulations! It probably isn't easy to go that far…And don't worry, Misty and I aren't that type of girls! I'd say it's…disgusting to see womenkind acting so immaturely!"

Ash thanked her with a smile, but he still felt uneasy about those nurses looking at him. "I think I'm going to take some fresh air." 

~*~*~

He wormed his way discretely through the corridors of the hospital, which wasn't too hard since it was completely deserted. When the nurse that was at the reception went to the bathroom, he managed to find the room's number of that bitch. He knew her name by the other girl with whom she fought the pokemon battle. There weren't twenty Misty in that damn hospital.

It was too easy…He laughed wickedly in the silence of the hospital. He was coming closer. 514. 515. 516. The door was closed, no light on. He listened a moment. Nothing, not a sound. He opened the door slowly and entered. He closed the blinds and made his way to the bed, where he only saw a shadow sleeping. The soft sound of her breathing echoed in his ears as a sweet symphony.

His eyes traveled around the room. They now got used to the darkness and started to shine when they saw the desired weapon. A pillow that was on a chair. He brusquely took it and hugged it a moment, smelling its scent. The scent of death that was coming in this room. A scent so pure! He moaned. It was so easy to take a life! So easy…and so satisfying!

He walked closer to the bed and observed her a moment. He had to admit that he would have like to play with her before killing her! She was indeed beautiful and he didn't forget her temper. But business was business! She had to pay…She fucked everything when she started to scream hysterically. He had enjoyed so much to grab her so fragile neck, to feel her tears of fear and pain rolling on him…

Without another thought, he climbed on the bed, one leg each side of her body. He placed the pillow on her face and pushed on it with his hands, as hard as he could. He smiled when he noticed she was beginning to wake up.

Misty woke up with a startle, with the impression of suffocating. She opened her eyes, but she saw nothing…She heard someone laughing and suddenly realized that something was deprived her from breathing. She started to fight, but she was already too weak. She only managed to discover that someone was on the bed, and that someone was pushing on the...pillow that was covering her face. She wanted to scream, but her words were muffled.

He laughed with delight when he felt her trying to fight. "Finally woke up, baby? It would have been better for you if you had stayed asleep…but it's more fun for me!" He closed his eyes, enjoying the present moment. "Did you really think that you would get away with it? No one makes fun of me. No one. Mostly not a bitch like yourself!"

Misty opened her eyes wide. It was the man that tried to strangle her. What was his name…She couldn't remember. Her hands trying to find the red button, which was connected to the nurse center. She could barely move. But she had to push on it. She had to! It was so dark…Turing. Flying. Flying far away, away…but before, she had to push on the button. Her hands touched the night table. It had to be near…Just a little down. A little more to the left. There, she felt it. Gathering all the strength she had left, she pushed on it, as hard as she could, not letting it go, as if it was a lifebuoy. Now, she could fly into the darkness…

~*~*~

Krystal and Brock had finished their first coffee and were staring their second one. The cafeteria was now completely empty. Krystal rested her chin in her hands, a question in her head. "Tell me…why were you so much in a hurry to leave? I don't think you had important stuff to do, because you wouldn't be here if you had!" 

Brock sighed. "True…it was only a banal excuse. It…kinda complicated to explain, but we never stay too long at the same place when we help someone." 

Krystal couldn't help, but smile. "You save that much lives?" 

Brock blushed a little. "Huh…well…I mean…huh…yeah, I guess." He shrugged. Without knowing why, he was a little shy to talk about it with Krystal, him who usually never hesitated to tell their stories, with full of details, to strangers. "I think it makes Ash feel uncomfortable, or something like that. I know it's compl-" He stopped when he saw that Krystal had a hand on he forehead, a strange expression on her face. "Everything okay?" 

Krystal moaned in silence. It started again. That headache, those weird feelings inside of her. A flash rapidly flew in front of her eyes. Misty. She closed her eyes. It was stronger than before. Other flashes flew rapidly, the hospital room of Misty. The pain. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't breath. Krystal jumped on her feet so fast that the chair she was sitting on fell on the floor. "Misty!" she screamed. She started to run. 

Brock, not understanding what just happened, not knowing what else to do, got up and started to run as well, following Krystal.

~*~*~

Ash sighed and combed his messy hair with his hand. Instead of going outside to take some fresh air as he said, there he is, on his way to that girl's room…to see if everything was fine. Stupid, stupid, stupid Ash. He wanted to go to the exit, but no! Instead, he was going to the elevator, to the fifth floor. And why? Just to see if she was fine! Stupid, stupid, stupid! He shook his head, discouraged with himself. He wanted to turn back and go back down, but he was in front of the door now. It would have been stupid to go back now.

He put his hand on the handle and made a move to open the door when he noticed that the blinds were closed. Weird. He remembered he was the one who last closed the door and he could swear they were open. He even was *sure* that they were open. He frowned. Something wasn't right. He opened the door without a sound. The scene in front of his eyes registered immediately in his mind. The man, on the bed, trying to suffocate Misty with a pillow. His eyes darkened. Without another thought, he jumped on the man, pushing him on the ground. They both fell on the ground, on the other side of the bed.

The man shouted a scream of surprise. What the…He looked up and saw one of the two idiots that saved the life of that whore. He felt the rage boiling in his veins. No way he was going to get the chance pass him by. This time was the good one. He was going to make her pay. Make them all pay. He raised his fist to hit him, but Ash blocked it and gave him a kick in the side, which made him groaning in pain. He took a quick look at Misty. She wasn't moving. He wanted to come closer, but a kick in his stomach stopped him.

"MISTY!" Krystal screamed when she finally arrived at the room. She just knew something bad had happened to her. She threw herself near the bed and observed her friend, pale and unmoving. She turned to Brock. "Go and bring back some help!"

But before he could leave the room, a nurse entered. She cried in shock when she saw the scene. "But…what's going on here?"

"You have to help her! I think she isn't breathing anymore!" shouted Krystal to the nurse. The nurse pushed Krystal aside to take a look at Misty. Krystal backed away in a corner, observing each moves of the nurse. Brock went to help Ash and they both succeed to stop the man.

Ash glanced at Krystal. "Go call Officer Jenny and bring back a doctor. Hurry!"

~*~*~

An hour later, Officer Jenny handcuffed the man, thanking Ash and Brock. The police had been searching for him since a couple of weeks for stealing pokemon. Ash, Brock and Krystal were now waiting in the corridor for the doctor to leave Misty's room, so they could know how she's doing.

"How did you know?" Brock asked Krystal, softly.

Krystal blinked a few times and looked at both of them. "You're going to find all that…weird, but sometimes, I have those premonitions…It's an horrible feeling. I was feeling Misty suffocating…I felt her pain…I…it's not the first time it's happening."

Ash scratched his cheek, thoughtful. "It *is* weird. But I suppose it can become handy. I don't know if I'd been able to handle him by myself if you hadn't arrived when you did. He was kinda strong…"

"That reminds me…why were you there? Weren't you suppose to get some fresh air?" Brock asked, eyeing Ash suspiciously.

Ash remained silent. He was about to answer when the doctor came out of the room, closing slowly the door behind him. Saved by the bell! He really didn't want to explain to Brock the reason why he went at her room because he didn't know it himself.

The doctor approached them. "She's sleeping. I gave her a good sedative. Your friend just passed through terrible ordeals, which almost cost her life. Almost strangled, and almost suffocated, in the same day…I don't have to explain you the emotional state she's in. Anyway, she's not going to have any physical after-effects." Before leaving, he looked at them, seriously. "She's going to need your support when she'll wake up. I hope she can count on you."

Krystal watched him leave, without really seeing him. She didn't know what to say, or do. She almost lost her best friend twice in the same day. Those two times, Misty had been saved by those two strangers. She would never find the words to thank them like they deserve it. When the doctor was out of sight, she sat on a chair, feeling all the weight of the world on her shoulder. Her eyes looked up, meeting Ash's ones, and then Brock's. "I suppose you didn't plan to pass the night in a hospital…I'm sorry. It's probably not very fun…"

Brock smiled. "Don't worry. If it bothered us, we'd be gone long ago." He glanced at Ash who slowly nodded. "I think we'll stay until she feels better."

Tbc…

~*~*~

Tell me what you think! 

   [1]: mailto:darkrainbow@eurosport.com



	4. The Journey Begins

Close your eyes ~ Chapter Four

Close your eyes ~ Chapter Four

By Kristina

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon, so don't sue me! That would be pointless anyway, since I'm broke. 

A/N: I am **so** very sorry for taking so long to get the next chapter out! I had computer problems, and then real life had been a major pain… So I hope you'll have forgive me. Will you? ^_~ Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the next part! And thanks a lot for all those nice reviews! I promise the next part won't take me that long to write it! If I don't keep my promise, don't be shy to nicely remind me that I need to write it! ^_~ 

C&C is more than welcome. You can email me at [darkrainbow@theslayer.net][1]

****

~*~*~ 

****

Chapter Four ~ The Journey Begins

"You have to eat this! Don't be such a baby!"

Misty glanced furiously at her best friend and ignored the bowl of food she presented her. There was **no way** she was eating that stuff! The potatoes had a greenish coloration and the steak looked as hard as a rock. "I am **not** eating this! I'd rather starve to death than even think of eating hospital food!" Misty then crossed her arms on her chest, a look of stubbornness on her face.

Krystal sighed. "You have to eat something if you want to get any better!"

"I **am** better! I even don't know why I have to stay in that damn hospital any longer!" Misty groaned. She took the bowl of food and threw it in the garbage near her bed before Krystal could force the food in her mouth. 

Ash chuckled. He was leaning against the room's wall and had been observing the scene for awhile now. He had to admit, it had been more entertaining than he thought. The girl had a temper matching the color of her hair and he was damn glad not to be in Krystal's shoes at the moment.

Misty eyed him angrily. "What's so funny?" She then ignored him and turned back to Krystal. "I'm outta here. I feel better, so there's no meaning for me to stay here," she said, determined. She balanced her legs out of the bed and slowly got up on her feet. "Let's go."

Stunned at first, Krystal then grabbed her arm. "Hold on a sec. You aren't going anywhere."

Misty shot a death glare to her friend. "Just watch me. I am not staying one more minute in this hospital." She grabbed her backbag and headed for the door. She almost ran into Brock, who just entered in the room.

He looked at her, surprised. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. I don't need to stay here anymore." Without another word, she left the room, leaving the black-haired girl and the two guys behind.

Krystal glanced at Brock and Ash. "She has always been stubborn," she explained. She then ran after Misty. "Don't you have forms to sign before leaving?" She shouted to her, as low as possible. 

Misty, at the end of the corridor, turned around and shrugged. "Who cares about forms to sign? Let's just get out of here!"

Ash stepped next to Krystal, a smirk on his face. "Stubborn you said? I think it's even worse than that."

"I heard that," Misty mumbled, impatiently waiting for the elevator to come up. Krystal, Brock and Ash joined her soon, and she looked at Ash. "If you'd been in this hospital for three days, you'd be in a hurry to leave too."

Ash just chuckled. He probably wouldn't have stayed a complete day, but he kept that from himself. 

Once in the elevator, Krystal cleared her throat and gave a quick look at Brock and Ash before lowering her eyes. "So, where are the two of you going?"

Ash shrugged. "Nowhere in particular." Brock and him talked about it often, about what and where they should do and go, but they couldn't come to a solution. It seemed they had nothing to search for anymore. No more badges to win, no more gyms to visit.

"We'll probably take the first road we come across with and see where it will take us," Brock added. The elevator arrived to the first floor and its door opened slowly. Brock stepped out first, followed by Ash, Krystal and Misty. "What about the two of you? What are your plans?"

"We'll continue to visit new places to get better trainers, I guess," Misty answered.

Krystal nodded. "And we also wanted to search for someone who maybe could answer the questions I have about the…feelings I get, why they suddenly appeared. But we didn't find that person who could help us. We asked around, but no one seemed to know who could help us."

"Well, maybe I can help…I heard once about a man who studies stuff like visions and premonitions. Maybe he could help you," Brock told her.

Krystal's eyes lit up. "Really? What's his name? Do you know where we could find him?"

"His name is Dr. Whedon I think, but I don't know where he lives."

Misty grabbed Krystal's arm. "We can try to find his address on the computer. There's one in the lobby."

They left Ash and Brock behind. Ash turned to face Brock and sighed. "I know that look on your face and I know what you're thinking."

Brock jumped, and his cheeks turned red. "Wha-What do you mean? What look on my face?" He shook his head. "It's not what you think, Ash. I'm not interested in that girl." He swallowed. "Well, she's nice, she's cute, but that's all, you know."

Ash cracked a smile. "Oh, really?" He turned serious. "We met those girls four days ago, we stayed with them in this hospital. Now we're all leaving and we have no idea where to go." He sighed. "Maybe we could go with them."

Pikachu popped his head out of Ash's backbag and looked stunned at its trained, his yellow long ears moved from left to right. "Pi pika?"

"Yeah…Ash, this isn't like you. Why the sudden change of heart?" Brock then sighed. "Never mind. I stopped trying to understand you a long time ago. If they agree to travel with us, I think it could be…interesting."

The two girls then reappeared, smile of satisfaction on their face. "He lives in River town. It's one week at foot from here," Misty announced. "So, I guess this is the time to thank you both for saving my life and staying here."

"Ash and I talked while you were gone searching for his address, and we decided that we both would like to go with you, if it's okay with you two of course," Brock stated, crossing his fingers behind his back.

Misty and Krystal exchanged looks and they both immediately nodded. "That would be okay," Krystal answered, grinning.

~*~*~

In the shadow, behind a tree, he observed them leave the hospital, chatting happily. He frowned, his eyes darkening. That wouldn't last. He'd make sure of that. He eyed Ash. His body shook with hatred. He watched him, receiving a not so friendly slap on the shoulder from the red-haired girl after a comment he made. He watched as Ash raised his both hands in a sign of peace. 

He tapped his foot angrily on the ground. He had to control himself. Soon, Ash would pay. Ash will pay for all the humiliation he caused him. And when he was done with him, Ash would have nothing left. Nothing. 

He smiled.

~*~*~

They'd been walking in a straight road for more than two hours now. They had chatted happily about their pokemons, which gave them a chance to get to know each other a little better. A small sound got their attention and they stopped walking.

"What was that sound?" Krystal asked, searching the area for any movement. 

Ash blushed slightly, and scratched the back of his back. "Huh, that was my stomach. You see, I'm a little hungry…"

"Well, I guess we could stop for awhile to eat," Krystal said as Brock laughed at his friend.

Misty rolled her eyes. "I should have known you had a noisy stomach."

Before he could answer, Brock told them to follow him. He spotted a nice place where they could eat. "I'll take care of the food. Go explore the area while I cook. I don't want any disturbance." He looked at Ash while speaking.

"Why are you looking at me? Do I have to remind you that I'm not twelve anymore, Brock?"

Brock only answered by a smile and then started to empty his bag, searching for something good he could cook. 

"Do you mind if I help you? I'm a not-so-bad cook," Krystal asked him as she walked to him.

"Sure, no problem. As long as Ash doesn't help us. He'd probably put the whole forest on fire!"

Misty grinned as she watched Ash getting redder. "So there is something you're not good at. I was wondering…"

Ash chose not to answer her. "Fine. I'm just gonna sit there."

"And I am going to see if I can catch any fish," Misty told them.

~*~*~

Misty sat near the river, enjoying the peaceful sound of the water flowing. A soft wind caressed her face mixed with the hot sun of the afternoon. She removed her shoes and put her hurtful feet in the river. Never mind the fish, she was too tired to try to catch one. And it felt so good just to stay there. The cold water helped her to relax and she was about to close her eyes when she heard a sound behind. She turned her head and her heart jumped in her chest when she saw Ash. He came to sit next to her and observed some fishes swimming in the river for a moment. 

She spied him a moment, between two locks of her long hair. He was handsome, she couldn't deny it. His features were the one of a young man, but his eyes were older, wiser. Probably because of things he had to go through to become a pokemon master. She wished she knew him better, but he wasn't the kind of person easy to read. She wasn't good at reading people anyway.

He suddenly turned his head toward her and caught her watching him. Misty lowered her eyes, a light red coloring her cheeks. She silently hoped he wouldn't notice. Crossing her arms on her chest, she took a breath of air. "Why did you decide to come with us? What is only because you had nowhere else to go?" Misty asked softly. The question had been hanging in her head since they left the hospital and she thought that now seemed be a good moment to ask.

Ash shrugged. "I always wanted to meet Dr. Whedon. Brock too," he simply answered. How could he tell her a reason he didn't understand himself? He just hoped she would be satisfied with his simple answer. It **was** partly true. Pr. Oak had talk about him so that he meant he had to be someone important.

"I see." Misty sighed. She suspected it wasn't the only reason, but that was all she would get out of him. She suddenly felt uncomfortable, sitting next to him. Not knowing what to say, Misty closed her eyes. And everything that happened since four days came back in her mind so suddenly that she almost yelled, but only a gasp escaped from her mouth. When she opened her eyes, Misty saw that Ash was staring at her, a strange look in his eyes. Was it…worry? Misty almost laughed at herself. Why would he be worry about her? They weren't even good friends! She just met the guy. She probably misjudged the look in his eyes. Yeah. Blinking, she groaned in frustration when she realized she had a headache. Great. Just what she needed.

Ash turned his head toward her, intrigued. "What happened?"

Misty forced a smile on her face. "I just thought a bug or something was on my leg. But there was nothing, just my imagination playing with me. You see, I have this…hate for bugs. I can't stand the sight of them, so when I thought one was on me…" Misty stopped, realizing she was babbling. That happened from times to times when she was nervous. She didn't understand why she was nervous. There weren't any reasons for her to be. 

Lie. She was nervous because it seemed Ash could read her like an open book, a feeling that she didn't like. Mostly when **she **couldn't read him at all. That wasn't fair.

Ash could tell she was lying because her eyes avoided him and she was talking too fast. He didn't know how to react, if he should push her to tell him the truth or if he should act like he noticed nothing. He wanted to let it go, but found he couldn't. He needed to know. It must have been something important if she needed to lie. "Tell me the truth," he softly asked.

Misty shuddered, knowing she didn't have a choice. "Every time I close my eyes, I-I only can see myself, on the hospital bed and h-him trying to kill me," she whispered, hugging herself as she suddenly felt cold. "It's all I can see. It's like it's happening again and again each time I close my eyes. It doesn't want to go away." She was close to tears, but she controlled herself. She wasn't going to start crying in front of him. She didn't want his pity, didn't need it. "But it's okay," she then declared, trying more to convince herself than him. If he believed her, she didn't know, but she really wanted to believe herself. 

"You don't have to pretend it's okay. I know it's not, your friend knows it's not and you know it too. Lying to others about how you feel, it's understandable. But lying to yourself isn't the right solution," Ash told her. He then shrugged and gave her a small smile. "I'm not really good with that stuff. I'm mostly repeating what I heard Brock say before."

Misty felt herself relaxing a little. She had been so tense those last past days. She really wanted everything to turn back to normal. And it seemed that Ash wanted to help her. Why, she didn't know. He barely knew her! Yet, he talked to her like they had been friends since forever! Misty didn't understand, but it felt…good. Really good. She wanted to ask him to help her, but her pride kept her from opening her mouth. So she remained silent, her eyes locked on the water.

"I-I could help you get those bad memories away from your mind," Ash suddenly said, breaking the silence. "It's one of Brock's technique and it works very well. Do-do you want to try?"

Misty glanced at him, curious. "What kind of technique?"

"Oh, it's simple. First, you have to be in a comfortable position."

Misty nodded slowly and sat down more comfortable on the grass. "Next?"

"You have to relax your body, your every muscles, your mind. Everything needs to be relaxed. Then, close your eyes. Concentrate on your breathing. Don't mind the wind, the birds or the water. Just your breathing."

Misty did as he told her, as she let his voice guide her. She never realized he had such a nice voice, soft and deep. Yes, indeed she liked the sound of his voice. How could she concentrate on her breathing when he was talking to her like that? Strange things happened to her stomach as he kept on talking that she didn't understand. She'd think about it later, now wasn't a good time.

"Now, imagine yourself in another place. A forest, the beach, a desert island, you choose. A place where you feel good and safe. A place where you like to go. Do you see it?"

"Yes, I see it," Misty whispered.

"From now on, every time you'll think about what happened to you, think of that place. Think how about beautiful it is, how good you feel there." Ash stopped and looked at Misty. She seemed so peaceful now. Since he first met her, it was the first time he saw her without her eyes full of pain, fear and worries. She was….

'No Ash, let's not go there,' he reminded himself. "You can open your eyes now," he told her rapidly. He needed to get away from her, his thoughts about her weren't what they were supposed to be. Maybe going with them wasn't such a good idea after all… But he wouldn't leave, not yet. Not until he knew for sure she'd be fine.

TBC…

   [1]: mailto:darkrainbow@theslayer.net



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